Second heparin-linked newborn dies

Girl's twin died Tuesday; hospital says his death not from blood thinner, gives no details on her

The twin sister of a newborn who died this week at Christus Spohn Hospital South has died, and their family was granted a temporary restraining order requiring the hospital to preserve records related the twins' hospital stay and overdose of the blood thinner heparin.

The twins, Kaylynn and Keith Garcia, were among as many as 17 babies who received more than 100 times the recommended level of the drug while at a high-level neonatal intensive care unit -- the result of an apparent pharmacy error.

The hospital said the death of the newborn who died early Tuesday was not caused by the overdose. Hospital officials would not discuss the death of his twin, who died Wednesday afternoon, because they had not received permission from the family.

In a news release issued early Wednesday -- while the twin was still alive but in critical condition -- hospital officials said the attending neonatologist could not identify any adverse effects from the drug in any of the newborns. The neonatologist was not named at his request.

The Garcia family's attorney, Bob Patterson of the Watts Law Firm, said the twins were born at Christus Spohn Hospital Alice on July 1, one month premature, and transferred to Christus Spohn Hospital South that day because it provides a higher level of care. He said the pair began exhibiting symptoms of an infection after their transfer.

Hospital spokeswoman Sherry Carr-Deer said the hospital has not been served and was unaware of the court filing. She wouldn't comment further on the filing, which was signed by County Court-at-Law Judge James Klager about 5 p.m. Wednesday. The filing also asks the hospital to preserve any unused heparin from the batch.

The investigation is ongoing into how the dosing error occurred, Carr-Deer said. A preliminary investigation indicates that the error happened during a mixing process on July 3 and was discovered by nurses Sunday night.

Fourteen babies were identified Sunday and a records check later revealed that three other newborns, who since had been released, likely were affected, Carr-Deer said. Twelve newborns remained in stable condition in the neonatal intensive care unit Wednesday for reasons unrelated to heparin, hospital officials said.

An autopsy on Keith Garcia was performed at Driscoll Children's Hospital and the results forwarded to Christus Spohn. Both hospitals declined to release the results of the autopsy, citing medical privacy rules.

The case has drawn comparison to the plight of actor Dennis Quaid, whose newborn children were given a massive overdose of heparin last year, the result of a technician who grabbed a bottle 10,000 times stronger than what was required. The incident, and similar ones like it, prompted drug manufacturer Baxter Corp. to change its labeling system.